In the past, a relatively simple children's game was developed in which bottle caps were placed within a circle or area on the ground, and the players would attempt to pick up the bottle caps within the circle by hand as rapidly as possible. The winner was the player who collected the most bottle caps from the circle. Informal rules were developed relating to the methods of picking up the caps, the positioning of the caps in the playing area, etc., which rules varied between players and games. In this respect, the game was somewhat like the well known game of marbles, in which an informal circle is drawn in the dirt for play; the only articles used in the play of the game are the marbles themselves. In the case of the bottle cap game, the bottle caps were the only articles used. The game served as an excellent means of developing hand eye coordination for small children in the days before video games and more complex and costly pastimes.
Many adults have fond memories of the above informal game, and lake pleasure in passing the game on to their children. While the game was extremely inexpensive to play, it was not without its hazards (e. g., the relatively sharp edges of the crimped metal bottle caps, etc.), and minor scrapes and cuts occurred from time to time. Such minor injuries could result in more serious consequences, given the bare earth playing area generally used and the resulting possibility of contamination of even a minor injury.
As the world has continued to develop, greater awareness of such potential hazards has evolved, and many parents have come to understand that there are better means of accomplishing various tasks than were used in their generation. It is also generally desired by parents that their children be protected from various risks to the greatest degree practicable. Accordingly, the need arises for a game apparatus for teaching manual dexterity, which avoids the various potential hazards discussed above, and allows children to play the game without undue hazard to themselves. Greater challenge may be provided by including relatively inexpensive timer means with the game apparatus, particularly a timer which provides an active indication of expired time or of a winning effort. Other means providing for the indirect handling of the game pieces may be provided to add further challenge to the game. The game playing pieces, as well as the playing area or arena, the individual player storage or retaining areas for the playing pieces, the playing piece handling tool, and the timer, may each be configured to have an appearance resembling a bottle cap having crimped edges, in order to relate to the origins of the game.